Hedge Fund Case Study - IT Projects

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Problem

With our roots in the financial services industry, it was no surprise when a large hedge fund in Boston approached ArcLight requiring assistance to overhaul their outdated and chaotic IT Infrastructure. This hedge fund had attempted to accomplish their goals working with a combination of internal IT resources and large managed service providers over the years but to no avail. It had become clear that their technology challenges required exceptional technical and industry expertise coupled with the dedicated time and attention for which ArcLight is known..

This firm’s stated project request was an extensive equipment overhaul, but the real key to resolving their technical issues was actually in the management of the top-down plan rather than getting lost in individual technical requests. Previous vendors had worked within their individual specializations without proper big picture oversight of the client's needs. ArcLight approached this challenge from a project management point of view, bringing everything together into a simple harmonious strategy with the client’s long-term goals in mind.

From a technical standpoint, our solutions included providing up to three full time engineers on site daily to handle the backlog of end-user issues and then ongoing daily support, developing a secure remote access strategy for remote workers, vastly improving their disaster recovery and business continuity plan, supporting the migration of over 30 servers to Amazon Web Services, as well as implementing the latest in on-premises hyper-converged solutions to reduce and simplify the in-house footprint.

Solution

Working closely with their in-house technical staff, ArcLight formed a strategic plan to overhaul the entire hedge fund infrastructure. We started by augmenting their technical staff with ArcLight technicians who could devote their full energies to understanding the existing platforms and putting out the fires of end-user needs. Once we had a solid snapshot of their needs, our first priority was to implement a solid backup solution to ensure that their data would be secure and began planning a long-term stable hybrid platform of on-site and cloud systems.

For their in-house infrastructure, we first replaced their aging LAN networking with a stack of modern switches and a 10Gbps backbone. Using this new backbone we deployed a Hyperconverged solution of Virtualized host servers, which allowed us to consolidate roughly three full racks of servers down into a platform that took up less than half of a single rack. This allowed huge savings on power and cooling bills as well as reclaiming some of their office footprint. We created a remote desktop solution for some users, allowing them to access a single desktop environment regardless of their physical location, enhancing security as well as functionality for them. We also streamlined their new workstation deployment by automating a large part of the work required to setup and configure PCs for the end users.

Working closely with their development team we migrated all of their development and client facing systems to Amazon Web Services (AWS) and tied that directly into their office with a 1Gbps AWS Direct Connect networking link to ensure no speed bottlenecks. In parallel, we upgraded their security detection and analysis systems to a more modern platform in order to support the faster data flow involved. This has allowed them to quickly spin-up development and testing servers in the cloud as needed and greatly accelerated their development process as a result. By having ArcLight project manage the entire infrastructure, we were able to execute a comprehensive solution that fit their immediate and long-term growth goals.

What Our Clients Say

ArcLight combines technical expertise with access to premium solutions while providing a nimble experience. ArcLight allows us to focus on our core products as they provide us with an IT framework, hardware and security. ArcLight moved us from a disorganized mess to a smooth system with effective support.

Jay Herson

General Manager of Boston Athletic Club

ArcLight does a great job of making sure our system is safe and secure. I can easily say I have no worries that my data is being backed-up and most importantly, protected. Should a problem ever arise, I know that my agency is well taken care of and that I matter as a client. They are constantly fixing the very outdated management system we use, even though the vendor does not even support it anymore. ArcLight goes above and beyond their responsibilities to help us out.

Renee Lauranzano

President of Lauranzano Insurance

Being a small business owner you have to wear many hats - your time is very valuable. Having a reliable and proactive IT partner is so vital to running your business, ArcLight has been able to address and rectify our IT issues with absolute diligence. ArcLight was very upfront and laid out exactly what they were going to implement and how it would affect our daily operation for the better. I can honestly say after the process was completed I felt a sigh of relief as our network and company was now secure.

Jason Dornhoffer

Co-Owner of United Private Car

Arclight has been great! I used to do all our IT stuff myself but inevitably spent way too much time on simple things (why won't the printer work?!) which ArcLight is able to diagnose and fix remotely as part of the monthly fee. Additionally, they optimized my computer so that I can easily transport it between my home and work office, and made sure my data was secure. Finally, they helped move my email hosting and I have noticed an appreciable improvement in my email speed (both receiving and sending).

J.J. O'Connor

President of Green Oak Financial

[ArcLight is] a very personalized tech-support service. I rely on them not only to fix and anticipate my problems but also to advise me on what I need to do. I found them very responsive. It is extremely helpful to have an account rep who can intervene and obtain an immediate response if I have a special need, problem or urgency. In working with them, I feel I have immediate access. Our issues get a timely response, and I feel that they prioritize well, so that if I have an immediate problem I will get immediate help.